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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. kid — to tease
  3. staff — a stick
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. vault — a safe
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wake — a trail
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. staff — employees
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. staff — employees
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. bat — the animal
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bat — for baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com